News and Updates 2016

Barents ministerial Meeting on Culture in Moscow on November the 9th

11.11.2016

Ministers of Culture and representatives of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council (BEAC) Member States gathered for the meeting in Moscow on 9 November 2016 to discuss options for fostering regional cultural cooperation in the Barents. There was a common understanding that BEAC creates favourable opportunities for developing interaction in the High North. The participants of the meeting express their readiness to contribute to further prosperity of the Barents region, supporting the efforts aimed at enhancing cultural cooperation. In this context the new Barents Scholarship award was adopted.

The Barents scholarship is established as a trial arrangement for four years, and is continued through silent procedure unless decided otherwise within the 2018 – 2019 chairmanship period and are awarded every second year, once per JWGC presidency. All Barents countries contribute to the establishment of Barents scholarships on equal terms. The scholarship amounts to 10 000€ per country – a total of four scholarships. The countries will each select one candidate from each of the Regions under the Barents Cooperation to be presented as candidates for the final selection by JWGC. The scholarship recipients will be announced in public and awarded at an appropriate event by the BEAC chairs.

The Russian host took the opportunity to show a part of the great Russian culture heritage to the delegates. Both a visit to the Tretyakov Gallery and to a ballet at the Bolshoi theatre were included in the programme.

Sergey PETROVICH, Chairman of the Committee of Senior Officials
Kenneth BROMAN, Chief of Staff, Nordic Council of MinistersAlla
Alla Y.MANILOVA, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Culture
Vygaudas USACKAS, Ambassador of the European Union to the Russian Federation